Be My Fortress
by Lord Chaltier
Summary: A detailed look at one of the events of the journal entries from Agrias Oaks: Holy Knight, Incomplete Woman, one of my earlier works.


Final Fantasy Tactics:

_Be My Fortress_

_**It was to be a simple duel between two allies. Two comrades in arms who merely sought to gauge each other's strengths and weaknesses for the upcoming struggles. What begins as a test of power becomes a revelation of truth and feelings.**_

Ramza Beoulve and Agrias Oaks stood before each other in an unnerving staredown. Neither had drawn their weapons yet, they were simply staring into each other's eyes, reading the other's soul. Both had a burning passion for justice. They began their journey together for different reasons, but now they had the same goal.

The duel between thetwo warriors was far from their camp where the rest of their allies remained. There weren't any distractions, no random monsters, just an open field, perfectlyfit for a battle.

Agrias slid her hand onto her sword hilt and slowly withdrew it from its sheath. It made a slight scraping noise as it was removed from its protective casing. Agrias' trusty blade had served her for a very long time, from the moment she became a Holy Knight, to this upcoming battle against her now commanding officer, the Beoulve boy standing before her.

Ramza placed his boyish hands on the swords at his hips. He had mastered the ninjutsu art of Two Swords, giving him the skills to wield two weapons at once. But he retained his Squire heritage, choosing to use twin knight swords over katanas.

The pale moonlight reflected off each fighter's armor, bathing the field in a haunting glow. Each warrior now stood, weapons at the ready. Their staredown continued on for what seemed like an eternity.

Agrias was the first to make a move. She dashed forward and opened the fight with a downward slash. Ramza brought up his left sword and parried the attack. He swung his right sword at Agrias, who deftly moved out of the way, withdrawing her own sword from Ramza's left. Now Ramza went on the offensive, slicing at Agrias in an "X" formation. First diagonally downward with his left, then diagonally upward with his right. Agrias was caught off guard by the pure fluid motion of Ramza's slices, and her sword was thrust to the ground. She quickly countered by bringing it up again and thrusting with all her might. Ramza was forced to break off his own attack and dart to the left to avoid being impaled.

It was true there was no enmity during this fight, but both Ramza and Agrias agreed they would not hold anything back. They wouldn't limit themselves, as it would only make them more suspectible to attack from future enemies who would show no mercy.

Returning to the dominant offensive position, Agrias slashed horizontally, and Ramza once again parried with his left sword. But this time Agrias was ready. Catching the hilt of Ramza's left sword with the point of her own, Agrias pulled back. With the blade of her sword wedged on her opponent's handguard, Ramza was forced to relinquish his hold on the weapon. It was sent flying behind Agrias, it created a small cloud of dust and dirt where it landed.

Now with only one sword, Ramza was terribly off balance. He hadn't used a single weapon in some time, so now he was at a disadvantage. Agrias smirked a little, thinking the battle was coming to a close. But the young noble boy was not one to be beaten so easily. If he was, he surely never would've made it as far as he had come.

Holding his one sword close to his chest, Ramza paused and waited for Agrias to resume her attack. Being naturally more aggressive from her years in the knighthood, Agrias charged again and thrust once more. Her sword struck Ramza's, causing small sparks to fly from each combatant's weapon. As the edges of their blades coursed along their grinding path, Ramza spun in a complete circle. Agrias went stumbling right past him, her guard currently down. As she turned to meet Ramza again, he was already on his attack. Agrias didn't have time to raise her weapon to guard, and seconds later the battle was over, with Ramza's blade a millimeter away from the Holy Knight's throat. Ramza's face was close to the edge of his weapon, meaning it was but a minute distance away from Agrias'. Agrias could see Ramza's cheeks beginning to turn a bit red. At first she thought it was merely fatigue from the heat of battle, but upon examining him more closely, Agrias could see that he was, for some odd reason, blushing.

Ramza took a step back, lowering his sword to his waist. He scratched his head nervously.

"Sorry if I was too rough." He apologized.

Agrias' face turned sour. _Too rough?_ That almost felt like an insult, and Agrias took it as such. Lowering her own blade, Agrias simply scoffed.

"Forget it." Agrias said.

"You were a very good opponent Agrias." Ramza praised her.

Agrias just rolled her eyes disdainfully.

"I'm sure glad you're on my side, hahahah." Chuckled the young noble boy.

Agrias bit her lower lip in frustration. Ramza was acting like this fight wasn't the least bit important. Maybe to him it wasn't, but to Agrias, it was an indicator of her limits. The fact she was apparently inferior to this...boy, a boy younger and less experienced in battle than herself was a shot at the Holy Knight's integrity. Once already had she shown signs of incapability with Princess Ovelia's capture. She hated being thought of as "just another soldier." She was Agrias Oaks, a Holy Knight of the Atkascha Royal Family. Why is it she continued to travel with this boy and his ragtag group of allies? Surely she could survive just fine on her own. She didn't need anyone to help her save Ovelia, she was perfectly qualified for such a task, and could do it solo. Agrias Oaks was her own fortress.

At least, that's what she wanted to think. But to this day she was still with Ramza. She could've deserted him any time she felt like it, and for good reason. He was a Beoulve, the same type of scum as his brothers Dycedarg and Zalbag. Agrias had learned the full truth from Ramza that his two older siblings were perpetuating the war for their own greedy ends. But there was something about Ramza that always persuaded Agrias to stay. That very same sense of justice that burned within his eyes also flared within the Holy Knight's heart. Agrias was going to save Ovelia, no matter what the cost, but it was impossible to do such alone. Ramza had welcomed her with open arms into his group, and viewed her as a reliable ally and trusted friend.

But the fact of the matter remained, Agrias was somehow not able to match up to Ramza. It perplexed her greatly as to why she, a veteran of battle, could not best this squire who only just recently acquired the taste of real fighting. She secretly envied Ramza's strength, always comparing herself to her commanding officer. And now, with a swift and quick defeat at his hands, Agrias felt that jealousy beginning to meld with the insecurities about herself.

Ramza walked over to his other sword and picked it up, then returned it to its sheath.

"I think we should turn in for the night Agrias, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Ramza turned to leave and go back to camp.

"Hold it right there!" Shouted the Holy Knight.

Ramza turned back around and looked at Agrias.

"Yes? Is something the matter Agrias?"

Agrias' breathing began to intensify. Her hand gripped her sword so tightly, she felt her skin beginning to blister. Ramza had done nothing to intentionally provoke Agrias, but in defeating her in their duel with just a few moves, he released her pent up rage and anger. Blinded by her own innane visions, Agrias no longer saw Ramza Beoulve standing before her. Where he once stood, now stood Gafgarion, the one who initiated Ovelia's capture. He was slain at Lionel Castle, but seemed to returned from beyond the grave to taunt the young woman.

_"You are worthless Agrias Oaks."_ Jeered the old man. _"You're nothing more than a burden to whoever you come in contact with. What did you do against me? Nothing. The Beoulve boy endured all of the pain and agony of the battle, while you lazily watched from behind the gates."_

"You're wrong!" Screamed Agrias.

"I'm wrong? Agrias? Are you okay?" Ramza asked concernedly.

The image shifted once more, and where Gafgarion once stood, now there was that bastard, Delita Hyral.

_"Why do you put my friend through such torture? There's really nothing you can do about Ovelia. Don't blame me, blame yourself, or maybe the God you worship so very much that you'd dedicate your title to."_

The image of Delita vanished, and Ramza stood there once again, looking on worriedly. Agrias looked down at the sword in her hands, staring at it so hard that she almost burned a hole right into its steel blade. Ramza inched his way over to the Holy Knight and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go Agrias, you need rest." Ramza ordered.

Agrias' looked out the corner of her eyes and glared at Ramza. She brought her free hand up and smacked Ramza's hand off her shoulder.

"Don't touch me knave." Agrias said with a grimace.

Ramza stepped back in shock.

"Agrias..."

She turned once more to meet Ramza's eyes. This time around however, hers were full of malice. One final image played before Agrias' eyes, and Ramza was once again its host.

_"What a waste..." _Her own reflection said with a heavy sigh.

"Enough!" Shrieked Agrias. "I am not worthless!"

"What are you..." Ramza started to say, but didn't have a chance to finished as Agrias charged once again, sword in hand. Ramza barely had enough time to draw one of his own and block the onslaught of attacks from Agrias. She struck with no quarter, not letting Ramza get a word in edgewise. But even as she continued to bear down on him, Ramza refused to strike back at her. He dodged whatever he could, and parried what he could not dodge. This seemed to evoke even more hatred from Agrias, who now began to call upon more powerful measures.

Agrias jumped back and raised her sword. It began to glow a bright white color.

"Absorb power in the sky and strike! Lightning Stab!" She shouted.

Ramza was struck head on with Agrias' Holy Swordskill. The lightning singed his armor, leaving faint scorchmarks across the breastplate. The Beoulve lad dropped to one knee, panting heavily. He rested on his sword to keep himself from falling over.

"Agrias, snap out of it..." He pleaded.

The images that mocked Agrias began to flicker, revealing the real person she had been attacking all along.

"R...Ramza..." Stuttered Agrias.

Ramza started to get to his feet, but as he did so he was sent back down by another Lightning Stab. He cried in pain as both swords flew from his hands and landed several yards away from him. Agrias was relentless, charging up yet another Holy Swordskill.

"Life is short, bury! Steady...!"

Once more the images vanished, and Ramza appeared again, struggling to get to his feet.

"Please Agrias...stop it..." Ramza begged.

Tears were beginning to sting at the corner of Agrias' eyes. Her body wanted to finish this fight and claim victory, her heart demanded her to cease, and her mind kept playing back those images that mocked her. In her one fleeting moment of stillness, Ramza made the decision to finally strike. He rolled over to his sword and scooped it up in his hand, then ran at Agrias. He aimed upward and slashed, knocking Agrias' sword from her grip. But as he brought the his own sword back down, the blade dragged over Agrias' upper arm, opening a mid sized gash. The pain of the injury finally jolted the Holy Knight out of her delusionary world, and she slumped to the ground, clutching her wounded limb. Ramza fell to the ground right next to her. He threw his own sword to the wayside and instantly grabbed hold of Agrias' arm.

"I'm sorry Agrias, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?" He asked once more.

Agrias looked away from Ramza in shame, bowing her head to the ground.

"Come on, let me help you." Ramza said. He began to open a Cure potion, but Agrias shoved him away.

"Leave me be, this injury is trivial." She ordered.

"I can't do that Agrias." Ramza told her.

"You are in much more need of the medicine than I." Agrias snorted.

Indeed that was true, Ramza had endured much more punishment than Agrias had, but he didn't seem to care. Any lesser of a man would've surely used the healing elixir on their own wounds, but Ramza was not such a man. He scooted over to Agrias once more.

"Hold still Agrias, this might hurt a bit."

Ramza moved his hands over to Agrias' wound. Putting his free hand over the one Agrias was using to cover the gash, he slowly, but firmly, moved it out of the way. This time, Agrias made little effort to try and stop Ramza. He slowly covered the wound with the salve of the potion. Agrias winced slightly as the healing effects started to work. It created a burning sensation, but Ramza quickly countered it by blowing on it softly. Agrias was completely stunned as to why Ramza tended to her wounds over his own. Ramza could see this in her facial expression, and responded to it as such.

"Your wounds come first, the health of the group is much more important than the leader's." Ramza said.

Though he meant that in a way to address Agrias as well as all of their other allies, she felt as if those words were meant just for her. She couldn't form a sentence in objection, so she just continued to watch as Ramza bandaged her wound. Once he finished, he stood back up, holding his side with his right hand.

"That was pretty good Agrias, we'll have to train again sometime." He said with an innocent smile. He reached out with his left hand, motioning to Agrias. She hesitated for a moment, then took hold of it. Ramza helped Agrias to her feet and then released his hold on her.

"Let's get back before someone notices we're gone." Said Ramza.

Ramza started over to his swords, but stumbled and began to fall. Agrias caught him before he hit the ground and draped one of his arms over her shoulder. She supported his weight, keeping him up.

"Agrias..."

"Let me be your strength Ramza, you've been mine for so very long, I think it's time I return the favor."

"Oh...um...okay..." Ramza said nervously.

Agrias helped Ramza over to a nearby tree and set him down against it gently. She then went over and picked up her sword, and then Ramza's, and set them behind the trunk where he was sitting. Agrias took a seat next to Ramza, brushing her hair out of her face.

"It's a long way back, we should just rest here, the others will find us eventually." Agrias said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ramza concurred.

Before long, Ramza had fallen asleep, but Agrias remained awake. She looked over at the resting boy next to her and just shook her head.

_Such a gallant young lad...though he wastes his sympathy on someone like me._

Agrias sighed and looked up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly down on the field, as did the nurturing moon. Agrias' troubled mind continued to brood over what she had brought about just moments ago, how she had attacked her leader for no apparent reason. She didn't mean to hurt him as badly as she did, she didn't want to hurt him at all, but she wanted to prove to someone that she was not useless. Little did she know that she didn't need to prove anything to Ramza, he knew all too well of her strength, and confided in it with each and every battle the two of them participated in. They held each other in high regard; their camaradarie was unbreakable.

Agrias felt something fall onto her shoulder.

"Hmm...?"

She looked over and saw it was Ramza. The boy was sound asleep, and was now using Agrias as his pillow. Agrias looked at Ramza with a warm gaze. She silently thanked the Heavens above for such a wonderful and caring leader, even though she thought she was unworthy of such a thing. Agrias tilted her head and rested it on Ramza's and closed her eyes, letting her fatigue take over and carry her off into the realm of dreams. Just as she dozed off, she whispered to herself:

_"I suppose even a fortress needs someone to look after it..."_


End file.
